WENT DOWN to Cipriani Wall Street for the Gotham Indepen dent Film Awards, where I was presenting to the one and only Sheila Nevins of HBO. Sheila is the world champion documentary producer, discoverer, developer and the biggest star in the nebulae that is HBO reality programming.

I had the fun of dining next to her big boss, Richard Plepler, and what a great-looking charmer he is. We both gave thanks for the first course – Cipriani’s version of macaroni & cheese. I have often taken issue with the Cipriani group’s attitude and arrogance, but there is no quarreling that this must be the finest first course in dining history! I didn’t bother to eat the rest of the dinner, being replete with calories and satisfaction.

IT’S ALWAYS fun to see movie stars in the flesh, and there were plenty of them gyrating around that night. I got two big hugs from two of the best – Philip Seymour Hoffman and Den nis Hopper. The hottest star of the night was the beautiful Penelope Cruz, a woman who has more than come into her own since the days when she was dating Tom Cruise. (Talented women do launch after Tom into stardom!) They gave her a career award for “Vicky Christina Barcelona,” and she was totally up for it, first saying that her English wouldn’t be good because she was so jet-lagged. (Penelope is on the verge of joining Nicole Kidman and Marion Cotillard in filming a musical number for the upcoming movie “Nine.”) Penelope had traveled to New York with her mother and sister and sat at a table with producer Harvey Weinstein. The high point of her introduction came in a film clip from Woody Allen, who remarked that he was happy to salute his star and was delighted also that “I am unable to be there in person.” This got a big laugh from the audience that had milled through the evening on Wall Street for almost five hours!

People stood for the legend Melvin Van Peebles, who was being partially rewarded, not only for his talent, but for his patience. Debra Winger looked smashing onstage with the adorable Amy Adams, whom I did not meet but would like to in order to express my admiration for her Disney Princess in the aptly titled hit film “Enchanted.” Then Debra and I had a little reunion where we harked back to Houston and the filming of “Urban Cowboy,” and I congratulated her on the book she just wrote, “Undiscovered.” I told her it just came across the transom with no fanfare, and she laughed: “Yes, well, you know I am not one to do publicity for myself.”

A pleasant surprise of the night was Sean Penn introducing the winning “Milk” director Gus Van Sant. In a room full of sloppy dressers, Mr. Penn was brilliantly tailored, much more handsome in person than on the screen and very dignified.

The preeminent moment onstage happened when Mickey Rourke and Patricia Clarkson came on to give an award. As my colleague Roger Friedman of Fox News noted: “What we learned: It’s going to be a long awards season with Mickey Rourke!”

This actor has been publicized, demonized, lauded, criticized, declared down and out and over. Now he is the master of the comeback via his potential Oscar entry in “The Wrestler.” He was turned out in what Roger, the man who sees all and tells all, described as “cool sunglasses, Armani-type apparel . . . his hair was styled.”

Mickey also had on one of the biggest S&M silver key chains to be seen in the 21st century. When a beautiful, towering Asian came onstage bringing one of the Gotham Awards, Mickey simply grabbed her in an unexpected embrace and delivered a kiss that competed with Adrien Brody‘s perpetuated on Halle Berry at the Oscars. Whether it will get Mickey an Academy Award remains to be seen. Mickey’s “partner” onstage, the aforesaid Miss Clarkson, seemed uncertain and a bit frightened by her co-presenter.

Melissa Leo won best actress, and her movie “Frozen River” won best feature. She made an impassioned thank you, commenting that her husband “had put all his eff-ing money into the production.”

It was a night of movies, actors, directors, producers and the rest of us starstruck minions. A cast of hundreds paid $1,000 a seat. (OK, looking at the list, their film companies and adjuncts paid for the seats. But wasn’t that nice?)

NEW YORK society never fails to be shocked to the gills when its most high-toned members behave just like “normal” folks in Queens, Fort Worth, or Kansas City.

So they’re agog! The former ambassador to Canada and chair emeritus of Young & Rubicam – the distinguished Ed Noonan Ney, age 83 – and his wife, Judy, formerly of the Nelson Rockefeller staff, have been married 34 years.

Now they are divorcing. However, they’re still living together in their apartment, and each is seeing a new girlfriend/boyfriend.